Heat transfer components are used in refinery and petrochemical processing applications at various locations within the facilities to adjust the temperature (i.e., heat or cool) of the processed fluid (e.g., crude oil or derivatives thereof). The heat transfer components (e.g., a heat exchanger, furnaces, and furnace tubes) may be near the furnace to pre-heat the temperature of the oil prior to entry into the furnace (i.e., late-train). A typical tube-in-shell heat exchanger includes a plurality of tubes through which the oil may flow through and around. A hot fluid and a cold fluid enter separate chambers or tubes of the heat exchanger unit. The hot fluid transfers its heat to the cold fluid. The heat exchanger is designed to efficiently transfer heat from one fluid to another. The hot and cold fluids are never combined. Heat transfer occurs through the tube wall that separates the hot and cold liquids. By employing the correct flow rate and maximizing the area of the partition, heat exchanger performance can be optimally controlled. A variety of other heat exchanger designs, such as spiral heat exchangers, tube-in-tube heat exchangers and plate-and-frame heat exchangers operate essentially on the same principles.
During normal use with contact between the oil and the heat exchanger, corrosion and the build-up of deposits occurs. This build-up of deposits is often called fouling. Fouling adversely impacts the optimal control of the heat exchanger. Fouling in this context is the unwanted deposition of solids on the surfaces of the tubes of the heat exchanger, which leads to a loss in efficiency of the heat exchanger. The loss in heat transfer efficiency results in higher fuel consumption at the furnace and reduced throughput. The buildup of foulants in fluid transfer components results in reduced throughput, higher loads on pumping devices and plugging of downstream equipment as large pieces of foulant periodically dislodge and flow downstream. As a result, the tubes of the exchanger must be periodically removed from service to be cleaned. This decreases overall facility reliability due to shutdowns for maintenance. This also leads to increased manpower requirements due to the number of cleaning crews required to service fouled heat exchanger and process fluid transfer tubes. Another detriment is an increase in volatile organic emission resulting from the cleaning process.
During normal use, the surfaces of the tubes of the heat exchanger are subject to corrosion as a result of the prolonged exposure to the stream of crude and other petroleum fractions. Corrosion on the surfaces of the tubes creates an uneven surface that can enhance fouling because the various particles found in the petroleum stream may attach themselves to the roughened surface. Fouling is not limited solely to the crude oils being processed. The vacuum residual streams are often used to heat the crude within the tubes. These streams often contain solids and are high fouling. Fouling can be associated with other process streams including but not limited to process gases (e.g., air).
While the problems of fouling extend beyond petroleum refining and petrochemical processing, the presence of crude oil presents numerous obstacles in preventing fouling that are unique to petroleum refining and petrochemical processing not present in other industries. Crude oil, in the context of fouling, is in reality more than simply a petroleum product produced from an underground reservoir. Crude oil is a complex mixture of organic and inorganic components which may result in a variety of foulant deposits on the surfaces of the heat exchanger including but not limited to both surfaces of the heat exchanger tubes, the baffles and the tube sheets. For example, crude oil as it is received at the refinery often contains corrosion byproducts such as iron sulfide, which are formed by the corrosion of drilling tubulars, pipelines, tanker holds and crude storage tanks. This material, under the right conditions, will deposit within heat exchangers resulting in depositional fouling. Crude oils often contain aqueous contaminants, some of which arrive at the refinery. Desalting is used to remove most of this material, but some of these contaminants pass through the desalter into the crude preheat train. These dissolved salts can also contribute to depositional fouling. Sodium chloride and various carbonate salts are typical of this type of foulant deposit. As more and more chemicals are used to enhance production of crude from old reservoirs, additional inorganic materials are coming to the refineries in the crude oil and potentially contributing to fouling.
Crude oils are typically blended at the refinery, and the mixing of certain types of crudes can lead to another type of foulant material. The asphaltenic material that is precipitated by blending of incompatible crudes will often lead to a predominantly organic type of fouling, which with prolonged heating, will form a carbonaceous or coke-like foulant deposit. Crude oils often also contain acidic components that directly corrode the heat exchanger materials as well. Naphthenic acids will remove metal from the surface and sulfidic components will cause sulfidic corrosion which forms iron sulfide. This sulfidic scale that is formed is often referred to as sulfide induced fouling.
Synthetic crudes are derived from processing of bitumens, shale, tar sands or extra heavy oils and are also processed in refinery operations. These synthetic crudes present additional fouling problems, as these materials are too heavy and contaminant laden for the typical refinery to process. The materials are often pre-treated at the production site and then shipped to refineries as synthetic crudes. These crudes may contain fine particulate silicaceous inorganic matter, such as in the case of tar sands. Some may also contain reactive olefinic materials that are prone to forming polymeric foulant deposits within heat exchangers. As can be understood from this discussion, crude oils are complex mixtures capable of forming a wide-range of foulant deposit types.
Currently, there are various techniques available for reducing fouling in refinery operations. One technique is avoiding the purchase of high-fouling crudes or corrosive crudes. This, however, reduces the pool of feedstock that is potentially available to the refinery. Additionally, the crude oil can be tested to determine whether or not the crude oil is compatible with the refinery. Again, this can reduce the feedstock potentially available to the refinery. Anti-foulant agents may also be added to the refinery stream. While these techniques are useful in reducing the rate of fouling within the heat transfer components, fouling can still occur under certain circumstances. The heat exchangers must still be routinely removed from service for cleaning to remove the build-up of contaminants. Furnace tubes must be taken off-line and steam-air decoked or pigged because of foulant deposition. Other alternative cleaning methods include the use of mechanical devices (e.g., “SPIRELF” and “brush and basket” devices). These devices, however, have low reliability and high maintenance needs.
There is a need to significantly reduce fouling in heat transfer components in refinery and petrochemical processing operations that does not encounter the drawbacks associated with the current techniques.